Bridging the Gen Z Hiring Gap – Strategies for Successful Integration in the Modern Workforce

Multiple numbers suggest and indicate that Gen Z is set to take over as the future of the modern workforce. 33% of Gen Z aged 16 to 19 work which is higher than the 27% for the Millennial teens and brands will hire 14.7% more college grads in 2023 as compared to 2022. But, organizations find it hard to integrate Gen Z workers with their existing employee base. 

Why Hiring Gen Z is Different

There are considered to be three major factors behind this Gen Z hiring gap with the first being changing workplaces in a post-COVID era. The great reshuffle disproportionately pushed young workers to the side. The other two reasons are unnecessary friction at the workplace and misaligned career expectations between employers and employees. In the latter’s case, for ages 18 to 34, Gen Z could change jobs 10x or more. 

These early-career turnovers impact an organization in more than one way. It takes an average of 42 days to complete the recruitment process, which leaves positions unsatisfied for a month. The total cost to replace an early-career turnover is $22,000 per employee, which could be costly for growing brands, and failing to hire the next generation could create holes in the workforce as 10,000 people hit retirement age each year. 

Conclusion

So, what can be done? One step could be to set clear expectations as 98% of Gen Z’ers agree it’s important to have clear expectations of a role. Another step could be fostering genuine transparency, as 52% of Gen Z’ers wouldn’t accept a job without salary transparency. Offering workplace respect could help as well with 82% of Gen Z’ers wanting their jobs to offer mental health days. Nurturing meaningful connections and focusing on intentional communications are crucial, too as 45% of Gen Z’ers want to know their co-worker’s personality and interests outside of work.